Police arrest man who was walking in traffic

COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 43-year-old Coeur d'Alene man who appeared to be intoxicated and was walking into oncoming traffic on Appleway Avenue.

A deputy approached Paul Graves Friday afternoon after observing him walking in the roadway. The deputy reported that Graves stumbled through the snow and stepped onto the sidewalk after being signaled to get off the road.

According to the deputy's report, the man immediately stepped back into the roadway after the patrol vehicle passed him. Graves then ran into the parking lot of Dragon House restaurant.

"I turned on my siren for a moment in an effort to stop him from running," the deputy wrote. "Graves stopped running and put his hands in the air, then almost immediately tore his jacket off, threw it in the bushes and then removed his shirt."

Graves, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 260 pounds, continually made aggressive movements toward the deputy, who wrote that he believed the man intended to fight him while he was still in his vehicle.

"It should be noted," the deputy wrote. "Graves was nearly a foot taller than me and weighed almost 100 pounds more than I did at the time of our contact."

According to the report, the deputy then stepped out of the vehicle and drew his pistol. He wrote that he repeatedly commanded Graves to stop, put his hands up, and get on his knees so he "could maintain control of the situation."

When Graves repeatedly ignored those commands, the deputy wrote that he requested backup. When additional deputies arrived at the scene, they were able to surround Graves and place him in handcuffs.

The deputy wrote that while he was transporting Graves to the Kootenai County jail the man once again became combative. According to the report, Graves told the deputy he was going to "throw down" with him "off the record."

"He also made several racially inappropriate statements, talked about being an 'OG' (original gangster) and a member of a gang, and talked about fighting," the deputy wrote.

Graves was booked and is being charged with being intoxicated on a roadway, obstruction and assaulting a peace officer.